In a modified 3 x 2 Muay Thai match, ie. no elbows, if the following are the scores what would be the result?

Red Blue
10 9
8 10
10 9

28 28

In Round 2 Blue scored a knockdown via low kicks, hence the 10-8 score. So summing up the points, would this be a draw? Or can Red take the match due to winning two rounds out of three? Or can Blue take the match due to scoring the only knockdown?

The only time you will see the score begin to be handled "subjectively" (to the Western mind, that is) is during a genuine 5-round professional match using Thai scoring practices. In Thailand, even though each round is scored individually, the fight is ultimately decided by looking at the entire fight as a whole.

So hypothetically speaking, if those were the last 3 rounds of a Thai match, Blue would most likely win the match by virtue of scoring the only knockdown.

However, I believe that even in Thailand when they host "amateur" Muay Thai tournaments with 3-round matches, each round is scored individually and the final score is merely a matter of adding those scores together.

Coming back to a genuine 5 round professional Muay Thai match, the Thai's liken a fight to running a marathon. Think of it as the 1st two rounds are the warm up, the 3rd round is when everyone kicks into their stride, the 4th round is the sprint to the finish, and the 5th round is the cool down. That is why a fighter who wins round 4 will usually win the match, even if they didn't win the other rounds.

My first match back after 9 month break. Amateur modified MT rules under WMC. The above points was the worst that I thought can be scored from my perspective. R1 I thought it was pretty even. He scored slightly more knees but I did a lot of throws and takedowns so I scored myself as losing the round 10-9. R2 I started working on his legs more and scored a knockdown so I should have won 10-8. R3 I gassed out and we were both pretty sloppy. Most significant action would be me missing two low kicks by me which was replied by body kicks by him that I blocked. I'm scoring myself as losing the round 10-9 in worst case scenario.

I didn't deserve to win but was expecting a draw. Oh well shit happens.

Hmmmm.... its possible that I'm wrong on the scoring, but its also possible that the round 2 score wasn't 10-8 as you would think.

For instance, from the surface it would appear that "yes", the round should be scored 10-8 and the score should have been a tie, however...

A round is 1st scored based upon who you think performed better in the round. Point deductions such as fouls or knockdowns are NOT assessed yet! So, if he outfought you (by Thai scoring standards) throughout the entire round, but you scored a knockdown with leg kicks (one of Muay Thai's techniques that scores the least), then he may have been deemed the initial "winner" of that round with a 10-9 score. Then the point deduction is assessed, making this a 9-9 round.

In *most* cases, the fighter who scores a knockdown is also dominating the round (which is WHY the knockdown occurs in the 1st place). However, due to how Muay Thai is scored, its completely possible that while you were landing solid leg kicks, your opponent was landing SCORING techniques such as kicks and knees to your torso (remember! an arm-blocked kick still scores!). So even though you chopped down the tree, most of your leg kicks probably didn't count for anything while he was racking up points.

Your knockdown definitely counted giving him a 1-point deduction to the score, but if he was otherwise winning the round, its quite conceivable that the score was actually scored 9-9.

I had R2 pretty even up to when I dropped him for the count via low kicks but it is possible the judges may have seen him as winning the round. I didn't realised there were so many factors in scoring a muay thai round. Thank you for your time.

Yeah, that was one of the big things for me when learning how to properly score a fight (any fight, not just Muay Thai). You have to judge the round based on the actual fighting first. Basically, you have to ask yourself that if there were no fouls or knockdowns, "Who would have won that round?". Once you have that score, THEN you assess any point deductions.

It's really a mindset thing, because I think we all start off believing that when there's a knockdown or foul, the round is automatically scored 10-8.

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